Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Mar 10;12(3):2941-9.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph120302941.

Association of light exposure on physical activity and sedentary time in young people

Daniel Aggio  1   2 , Lee Smith  3   4 , Abigail Fisher  3   4 , Mark Hamer  4
Affiliations

Association of light exposure on physical activity and sedentary time in young people

Daniel Aggio et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: To investigate whether light exposure was associated with objectively measured physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour in young people.

Methods: Participants (n=229, 46.7% female) were young people (mean 8.8 years [SD±2.2]) from the borough of Camden, UK. Daily sedentary time, moderate and vigorous PA (MVPA) and light exposure were measured using a tri-axial accelerometer with an ambient light sensor during the summer. Multiple linear regression models examined associations between average daily light exposure, sedentary time and time in MVPA. Models were repeated investigating weekdays and weekend days separately. Analyses were adjusted for pre-specified covariables, including age, sex, device wear time, ethnic group, school and body fat.

Results: There were significant associations between average daily light exposure and time sedentary (β coefficient=-11.2, 95% CI, -19.0 to -3.4) and in MVPA (β coefficient=3.5, 95% CI, 1.2 to 5.9). Light exposure was significantly associated with weekend sedentary time (β coefficient=-10.0, 95% CI, -17.6, -2.4), weekend MVPA (β coefficient=3.7, 95% CI, 1.7, 5.7), weekday sedentary time (β coefficient=-15.0, 95% CI, -22.7 to -7.2), but not weekday MVPA (β coefficient=2.0, 95% CI, -0.5 to 4.5).

Conclusion: Average daily light exposure is positively associated with time in MVPA and negatively associated with sedentary time. Increasing daylight exposure may be a useful intervention strategy for promoting physical activity.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Andersen L.B., Riddoch C., Kriemler S., Hills A.P. Physical activity and cardiovascular risk factors in children. Br. J. Sports Med. 2011;45:871–876. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2011-090333. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Saakslahti A., Numminen P., Varstala V., Helenius H., Tammi A., Viikari J., Valimaki I. Physical activity as a preventive measure for coronary heart disease risk factors in early childhood. Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sports. 2004;14:143–149. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0838.2004.00347.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Scholes S., Mindell J. Physical Activity in Children (Ch 3). Health Survey for England 2012 Annual Report. [(accessed on 22 January 2015)]; Available online: http://www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13218.
    1. Vaisto J., Eloranta A.M., Viitasalo A., Tompuri T., Lintu N., Karjalainen P., Lampinen E.K., Agren J., Laaksonen D.E., Lakka H.M., et al. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in relation to cardiometabolic risk in children: Cross-sectional findings from the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) study. Int J. Behav Nutr Phys. Act. 2014;11 doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-11-55. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. De Vet E., de Ridder D.T.D., de Wit J.B.F. Environmental correlates of physical activity and dietary behaviours among young people: A systematic review of reviews. Obes. Rev. 2011;12:e130–e142. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00784.x. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources